Famitsu, a popular Japanese gaming and culture publication, chatted with Final Fantasy XVI producer, Naoki Yoshida, the game’s main director, Hiroshi Takai, and the DLC director, Takefu Kujiraoka, and learned some interesting info regarding “The Rising Tide” DLC slated for release in the spring of 2024.
While the dev team was hush on specifics, the interview shed more light on the length and story of the game’s second major DLC offering that was announced in a trailer during the 2023 Game Awards. Here are some highlights from the Google-translated interview.
“The Rising Tide” DLC will be about 10 hours long
Unlike “Echoes of the Fallen,” the game’s first DLC that was designed to be released shortly after the game’s launch, “The Rising Tide” was always meant to be bigger and longer than its predecessor. With its extended development period, the DLC will feature new side quests in addition to the main story.
When all is said and done, players can expect about 8 to 10 hours of gameplay, depending on pacing preference. That’s almost double the length of “Echoes of the Fallen” which clocks in at about 3 hours of gameplay.
The story reveals the “dark side” of Valisthere and shows a “gentle” Clive
The devs let loose some details about the DLC’s new storyline which is also positioned before the game’s finale. One of the more noticeable details is the blue sky over Valisthere that was seen in the DLC reveal trailer; the new, serene color is a stark contrast to the grotesque purple sky players remember from the base game. This is just one of the mysteries players will unravel as they dive into what the devs call a darker side to Valisthere and its history.
Of course, as seen in the trailer, the eikon, Leviathan, will play a significant role in the DLC and its absence in the main game will finally be examined. So, for those who thought the omitting of Leviathan as a summon in Final Fantasy XVI was a criminal-level oversight, you’ll be happy to know its absence in the main storyline seems to serve a greater purpose.
Yoshida himself also mentioned that players will get to see a different, gentler side to Clive in “The Rising Tide.” While we can only speculate that perhaps this new perspective of Clive is influenced by Jill and Joshua, his companions in the DLC, Yoshida says this is a new side of the main hero that players and fans haven’t seen before.
“The Rising Tide” is expected to be the last piece of FFXVI content
Yoshida confirmed in the interview that the Final Fantasy XVI development team has been disbanded except for the DLC team. This doesn’t bode well for anyone crossing their fingers for a direct sequel or spinoff as this news makes the possibility of either highly unlikely.
To reiterate the low odds, Yoshida mentions that he looks forward to taking what he’s learned and experienced and using that knowledge in future projects instead of a single, long-lasting project.
However, there is an ounce, a drop, a smidgen of hope in that Yoshida didn’t completely close the door on the idea of future content following “The Rising Tide.” Specifically, he references the PC version of Final Fantasy XVI that’s also being developed and how its successful launch could potentially lead to new story content that possibly allows players to control other characters like Cid and Jill. So, the chances may seem very low for more Final Fantasy XVI action after “The Rising Tide,” but it’s not impossible.
Want more? You can check out the full Famitsu interview here.